Week 4: "MyFace" or "Do you know what I did 5 seconds ago"

Facebook the New MySpace
by Shaun Buzza, 18/03/2010

When it comes to media; newer, faster, bigger and more accessible has arguably been seen as better. This ranges across a wide spectrum of everyday media devices including mobile phones and social networking sites. When deciding what the most optimal device to us is, there are a number of factors and feature in which we look for. The concept of convergence is when media tools such as video; news and information, web access are combined together with a greater level of accessibility. All our media devices are being driven towards this understanding of convergence, where we want all of these tools at our disposal 24/7. As well as convergence, the general public is greatly influenced by the world around them. We want to be able to use social networking sits, for example, that are being used by the majority of the people around us, and it is popularity and usage that will determine how successful an application is.

So when considering what mobile phone we will upgrade to, or what site we will use to keep in touch with friends or family, we have to ponder the pros and cons of each device or application and interpret this information to produce and outcome. An example of this can be derived from the mass population of Facebook, as opposed to its spiritual predecessor MySpace. Christine Rosen discusses in her article “Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism”, the evolution of social networking and in more detail the distinguishing features between social networking sites. Facebook was able to take they core features and concepts of what social networking consist s of and refined them into a more streamlined and accessible package that included a convergence of more extensive media tools. As long as these features received the continued support by users, you have the perfect environment for a successful social networking franchise.

References

Rosen, C. (2007). "Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism," The New Atlantis, Number 17, pp. 15-31